Databases may sometimes be configured to store nested objects within a single field. A database might, for example, be configured to store a binary file or a document as a single field within a row of data. The storage and retrieval operations typically used for other types of fields may be unwieldy when applied to nested objects. Typically, a database stores or retrieves fields in their entirety. Retrieving the entirety of a nested object, however, may be inefficient, particularly when only a subset of the document is to be retrieved.